Biomedical subjects

B A Zsembik

Publications and source records attributed to B A Zsembik.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Race differences in cognitive functioning among older adults.

OBJECTIVES: Explaining race differences in cognitive functioning in later life continues to challenge researchers. This study was an attempt to incorporate the clinical literature, emphasizing biological correlates of cognitive functioning, and the social research literature, emphasizing social inequalities and consequent health outcomes, in the examination of sources of race differences in cognitive functioning in older adults. METHODS: With data from Wave 1 of the Assets and Health Dynamics of the Oldest Old survey, the authors used structural equation models (LISREL 8.30) to estimate the direct effects of race on cognitive functioning and indirect effects through social and biological risk factors for the total sample (N = 5,955). RESULTS: Race had a direct association with cognitive functioning. Race also had indirect effects on cognitive functioning through social risk factors-education and health insurance. There did not appear to be indirect effects of race through biological risk factors. DISCUSSION: The direct and indirect effects of race through social risk factors attest to the importance of examining different ways through which race can influence cognitive functioning of older adults. This research also emphasizes the need for researchers to investigate more closely race differences in dimensions of cognitive functioning and cognitive functioning over time.

Black or African American↗

PubMed2000

Race and ethnic variation in the disablement process.

OBJECTIVES: This analysis examines ethnoracial group differences in the transition from health to disability. METHODS: Using data from the AHEAD study, the authors examine the relative influence of each stage in the disablement process in the evolution of ethnoracial group differences in basic and instrumental disability. RESULTS: Predisposing factors account for disability differences between Whites and other Latinos, whereas excess disability among African Americans stems from their higher level of cognitive limitation. The excess disability of Mexican Americans arises from their higher level of physical limitations. The data also reveal a larger impact of medical conditions and physical limitations on acquisition of disability among African Americans and Mexican Americans. This article demonstrates the importance of cognitive status in the disablement process, especially in ethnoracial group differences. DISCUSSION: The authors discuss the practical implications for health care delivery to non-White elders and the theoretical implications for understanding the complexities of disablement.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1997

The influence of community context on the preferences of older adults for entering a nursing home.

Previous research has established that rural elders are more likely to enter a nursing home than elders living in suburban and urban areas. This research examined preferences for long-term care alternatives using a telephone survey of community-dwelling elders (age 65+). In contrast to admission patterns, urban elders were more likely to prefer nursing home care if unable to live independently. This difference persisted in multinomial logit models that included other predictors of nursing home use. Thus, rural elders may be more likely to experience discrepancies between their preferred mode of long-term care and the actual outcomes that they may ultimately experience.

Aged↗

PubMed1990

The problem of defining retirement among minorities: The Mexican Americans.

Using the 1979 Chicano Survey and four different operational definitions of retirement, we explored the effects of age, gender, health, birthplace, and lifetime work experience on the retirement of Mexican Americans. We found that correlates of retirement vary by the definition used. Frequent health limitations was associated with retirement defined by self-reported retirement or self-reported current work status, but not defined by respondents' self-described activities or receipt of retirement income. Operational definitions often used in discussions of timing and determinants of retirement, thus, poorly fit the lifetime work patterns and retirement process of Mexican Americans.

Aged↗